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Eight films will compete in 2008 Metro Manila Film Festival

(Top) Iza Calzado, Rufa Mae Quinto, Ruffa Gutierrez, and Marian Rivera will return in Desparadas 2; (Below, from left) Ai-Ai delas Alas will also reprise her role in Ang Tanging Ina Ninyong Lahat, Anne Curtis topills the war drama Baler, and Vic Sotto will be reunited with Tito and Joey in Iskul Bukol.

This year's Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) will be free-for-all with returning superstars, sequels and, yes, even an animation.

Walong pelikula lang ang maglalaban-laban this year sa MMFF, so malamang na wala na itong two-parts like the past years; most opening on December 25 and the rest on January 1.

Walang Judy Ann Santos-Ryan Agoncillo movie this time, pero may ibang "Anne" ang lalaban. Magbabalik si Vic Sotto, not with his Enteng Kabisote retinues but with his old classmates in Iskul Bukol.

Last year's sleeper hit Desperadas will have a sequel and the longest-running horror franchise in the Philippine history of movies marks X. Isang senador lang ang lalaban this year and an animation will follow the footstep of Urduja. Lastly, Regal Entertainment and OctoArts have two movies each again.

A continuation of the story of four women with the same mother of different fathers, the original stars are back—Ruffa Gutierrez, Rufa Mae Quinto, Iza Calzado, and Marian Rivera—with the addition of a fifth cast, si Eugene Domingo na magpapakilalang kapatid din daw nila.

This will be Ruffa's second movie for the year after My Monster Mom ng Regal and GMA Films; baka fourth ni Rufa Mae after Regal Films' Manay Po 2: Overload, the upcoming I.T.A.L.Y. from GMA Films which will open on August 5, at kung matatapos ang Viva Films movie na Civil Status: Single.

Tenth installment na ito ng original festival horror trilogy na nagsimula noong 1984. Wala pang final cast, although nakakarinig na rin kami ng mga pangalan, like that of Lovi Poe. This tenth of the series will also have a first; there will be a recurring theme of the No. 10 in the three stories like ten friends, tenth floor, and a third ten something.

Ai-Ai delas Alas and Star Cinema's biggest hit on record gets a sequel after five years. Now the president of the country, most of Ai-Ai's original children in the movie will return save for one or two, most notably Heart Evangelista dahil Kapuso star na raw kasi ang dalaga.

Ironically, the eldest sibling na si Marvin Agustin, who plays Uno, is also now an exclusive Kapuso star but will still be part of the cast. Another brother na si Carlo Aquino, who is already a Viva Artist Agency star, is mostly seen sa GMA7.

Mas malaki na rin ang participation ni Eugene Domingo as Rowena rito, giving the two-time Best Supporting Actress award-winner the privilege of being the only major star to be part of two festival movies.

After four installments of the old TV series of Vic's Okay Ka Fairy Ko, magpapahinga na muna si Enteng Kabisote to give way to the Escalera and the Ungasis based on the sitcom that launched Tito, Vic &, Joey in 1977, ang Iskul Bukol. Tito, Vic, and Joey will reprise their original roles Tito Escalera, Vic Ungasis, and Joey Escalera, respectively.

Submitted as The Siege of Baler, Anne Curtis gets her biggest break in the movies as she stars in a war-time love story based on the siege of Baler, Quezon noong Spanish era. Hinahanapan pa ng leading man si Anne for the movie.

According to producer Veronique del Rosario-Corpuz, tulad ng mga Hollywood movies na Titanic and Pearl Harbor, fiction ang love story but the backdrop of war will be based on historical facts.

The other three official entries with not so much information yet are One Night Only from Canary Films, Magkaibiganfrom Maverick Films, and Dayofrom Cutting Edge.

Last year's Best Actor Jinggoy Estrada will produce and star in Magkaibigan. Dayo will have the distinction naman of being the first all-animation movie accepted for festival entry to be directed by Robert Quilao with Artemio Abad Jr. and Eric Cabahug.